Stockhausen - Freude (Joy) - for two harps

Harpist Marianne smit plays the first 7 minutes of Stockhausens "Freude für Zwei Harfen" together with Harpist Esther Kooi. Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928 - 2007) has written "Freude für Zwei Harfen" (2005), also known as "Joy", for harpists Esther Kooi and Marianne Smit.

Modern composers utilize the harp frequently, but while the pedals on a concert harp allow many sorts of non-diatonic scales and strange accidentals to be played, some modern pieces call for impractical pedal manipulations. In 2005 German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen solved this problem in his own way by composing 'Freude' (Joy, 2005) for two harps, 2nd hour in the 'Klang' cycle. In this piece he created opportunities for non-diatonic scales by dividing the piece over two harps. He required Dutch harpists Marianne Smit and Esther Kooi to study daily in excess of 6 months to create an absolute synergy in the 40 minute piece.

www.mariannesmit.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• harp
• harpist
• harpiste
• karlheinz
• stockhausen
• freude
• marianne
• smit
• duo
• esther
• kooi
• diatonic
• joy
• classical
• music
• concert

[2teiresias]

What a pity zzindorf does not yet appreciate the beauty of this unique work for 2 harpists. (it is much longer than this excerpt.) I attended a live performance in London nearly 2 years ago and found it totally compelling and amazingly inventive for a composer 70+ years. Mind, I have been listening to Stockhausen for nearly 50 years now and I can state that he never wrote one note without understanding the instrument fully and always collaborated with the performers during composition.

[pcpablo7]

GREAT GREAT WORK!! CONGRATULATIONS!

[satoichi771]

wow

[LutherRayable]

Oh how i would dearly love to witness the other 32:51 of this outstanding composition!

[TheMineralquallen]

im not a big fan of kclassical musik but this is amazing oO

[ChocloManx]

I wonder how many harpists in the world have the talent and inclination to learn such a demanding and complicated piece. And how many of them know another one to play it with...

Stockhausen was one crazy mofo, but he was enough of a genius to justify it.

[Lalli1987]

Dissonancy and hocketing... Interesting

[TheMarketPub]

@2teiresias I agree, I have been listening to stockhausen for 7 years. Seen him at the the queens hall in Edinburgh just before he passed away (Kontact & Moment). Would love to know your thoughts after 50 years.

[theo9952]

Τhis is SO interesting... and beautiful !

[fredericfranc]

...I immediately wondered if the piece works because of the sex,i.e. if a couple of GUYS wearing jeans and sporting beards could bring it off...but once they started interjecting the vocals, well...then I got paranoid that this was a video trick with ONE harp doubled...but then I read the notes that it is really two gals, no shit...but, what the fuck, the piece works...